A variety of front suspension systems have been employed on snowmobiles over the years. In the early 1980's the assignee of the present invention introduced to the snowmobiling industry an independent front suspension system utilizing a trailing arm--i.e., an elongated arm having its front end connected to the steering spindle, and the rear end pivotably connected to the chassis (see, e.g., Canadian Pat. No. 1,227,823, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference). The trailing arm is oriented generally parallel to the snowmobile's longitudinal centerline, its front end being secured to the chassis by a pair of generally transversely mounted radius rods.
While the trailing arm/radius rod suspension system has been widely accepted in the snowmobile industry as a very good snowmobile front suspension design, applicants have found that further improvements in the system can be made, providing even better performance advantages for the rider.